The Many Reasons To Love Michael Fassbender

The first trailer for Macbeth has been released, so naturally we're using it as an excuse to celebrate Michael Fassbender.

He’s the German-Irish actor who unashamedly got naked in Shame, can perform every single word of Toto’s Africa on cue and still lives, drinks and shops in Hackney. What’s not to love?

We thought we’d pay homage to one of the most talented and handsome (there’s no denying it) actors walking the planet right now. Here are 17 things we just love about Fassbender:

1. Macbeth
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oyFAn5IaFS02. His girlfriend is our style crush
Alicia Vikander has style and doe-eyed beauty by the tote-load. The new face of Louis Vuitton, the Swedish actress has been dating Fassbender since 2014 after meeting him while filming forthcoming movie The Light Between Oceans. We’re so into them as a couple.

3. Shame
If you haven’t seen Shame – the Steve McQueen-directed movie about a sex addict (played by Fassbender) and also starring Carey Mulligan – you must. Fassbender gives an incredible performance, plus gets totally, 100 per cent, full frontal naked – which is no bad thing.

4. 12 Years A Slave
This film lives up to the hype. There is no doubt. And, while, it may have been Chiwetel Ejiofor and Lupita Nyong’o that were on the receiving end of most of the praise during the 2014 awards season, Fassbender played a brilliant and crucial part in the success of this cinematic masterpiece.

5. Dancing feet
You just know that Fassbender would be amazing to go on a night out with. At the afterparty for the A Dangerous Method premiere, he and Keira Knightley completely tore up the dancefloor. Of her dashing co-star, Keira said: ‘You can count on Michael to buy a bottle of champagne when one is required.’ A man after our own heart.

6. Skills
At the very same party, the actor showed off his piano skills. Who doesn’t love a man who can tinkle on the old ivories?

7. Determination
He’s not just about the craic, though. Fassbender takes his work very seriously. For the 2008 Steve McQueen film, Hunger, the actor lost 16kg to play hunger striker Bobby Sands. About the challenge, he said: ‘I felt really focused, really centred, really strong. Hungry all the time, obviously.’ The film was is astonishing.

8. He does the can-can in Cannes
Breaking into dance on the red carpet at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival with his Inglourious Basterds co-stars? That’s Fassbender for you. Brad Pitt doesn’t look too impressed, though…

9. He looks just heavenly in period costume
Fassbender as Mr Rochester in the 2011 Jane Eyre? Yes, please.

10. He’s a Hackney resident
Fans of Fassbender will already know that, despite his high-flying Hollywood career, the actor still lives in Hackney, east London. If you’re a proper fan you’ll even know which pubs he regularly frequents. See you there, ladies.

11. He loves dogs
Nuff said.

12. He rides a motorbike… which means lots of leather
He is a keen motorcyclist AND he loves his pops. He said: ‘I just went off for two months traveling around Europe on a motorcycle and pretty much turned my phone off. I did 5,000 miles with my dad. We went through Holland, Germany, Austria, Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia, Montenegro, Italy… and then I did Spain and France by myself.’ Total dude.

13. He’s not proud
Before Fassbender really hit the big time, he was a struggling actor trying to make ends meet in London and took all manner of random jobs to get by (think: unloading trucks, bartending and market research) He once said: ‘I had to call people who had filed complaints about the Royal Mail and see if they were happy with how their grievances were dealt with. Most of the time they weren’t.’

14. He’s mates with Idris Elba
What. A. Pair.

15. We are totally on board with his life mantra
He says: ”The problem is, we feel a lot of pressure about looking silly or appearing weak, whatever that means, or being a failure. You have to keep in your head: what’s the worst that can happen? What’s the worst that can happen? You fall flat on your face, then hopefully you get back up again and go for it again and try something else. We’re all going to die one day.’ Too true.

16. His co-stars love him
His longtime working relationship with director Steve McQueen (they’ve worked together on Hunger, Shame and 12 Years A Slave) is testament to what a great guy he is. Not to mention just how talented. McQueen describes him as a ‘once in a generation actor’.

17. He wants to do a musical
He can perform Toto’s Africa word-for-word and wants to do a musical with Steve McQueen. He recently said: ‘I guess it would be an original piece. I’m an excellent singer.’ He’s being totally 100 percent serious about that, right?